Remove First and Last Character from String in Java

In this article, I will be sharing different ways to remove the first and last character from String in java. There are 2 ways to achieve the result.

1. Using substring() method
2. Using deleteCharAt(int index)

Let's dive deep into the topic.

Read Also: Difference between String, StringBuilder, and StringBuffer

1. Using substring(int beginIndex, int endIndex) method

substring() method is present in the String class. String class provides two overloaded substring methods but we will use the below method to remove first and the last character from the given String.

substring(int beginIndex, int endIndex)

The above method will create the substring starting from the beginIndex and extends to the character at index endIndex-1. In simple words, substring() will include beginIndex and extends till the end excluding the endIndex.

Since String is immutable i.e once created can not be changed or modified, substring() method will return a new String without first and last character. The length of the new substring() will be endIndex - beginIndex.

public class JavaHungry {
    public static void main(String args[]) {
        // Given String
        String inputString = "JavaHungry";
        // Calculate length of the given String
        int length = inputString.length();
        // Removing first and last character from String
        System.out.println(inputString.substring(1,length-1));
        
        // Above Code in One line 
        System.out.println("JavaHungry".substring(1,9));

    }
}

Output:
avaHungr
avaHungr

2. Using deleteCharAt(int index)

deleteCharAt(int index) method is present in StringBuilder/StringBuffer class. We need to first convert String to StringBuilder/StringBuffer object.

Removing the first character from String using deleteCharAt(int index) method:

public class JavaHungry {
    public static void main(String args[]) {
        // Converting String to StringBuilder
        StringBuilder str = new StringBuilder("JavaHungry");
        // Removing first character
        str.deleteCharAt(0);
        // Converting StringBuilder to String
        System.out.println(str.toString());
    }
}

Output:
avaHungry

Removing the last character from String using deleteCharAt(int index) method:

public class JavaHungry {
    public static void main(String args[]) {
        // Converting String to StringBuilder
        StringBuilder str = new StringBuilder("JavaHungry");
        // Removing last character
        str.deleteCharAt(str.length()-1);
        // Converting StringBuilder to String
        System.out.println(str.toString());
    }
}

Output:
JavaHungr

Removing both the first and last character from String using deleteCharAt(int index) method:

public class JavaHungry {
    public static void main(String args[]) {
        //Converting String to StringBuilder
        StringBuilder str = new StringBuilder("JavaHungry");
        // Removing first character
        str.deleteCharAt(0);
        // Removing last character
        str.deleteCharAt(str.length()-1);
        //Converting StringBuilder to String
        System.out.println(str.toString());
    }
}

Output:
avaHungr

That's all for today regarding removing the first and last character from String in Java. If you know any other way to solve this problem or have any questions please mention in comments.